William Thomas Reid (November 8, 1843 – December 17, 1922) was an American educator who served as the Fourth President of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

from 1881 to 1885.

Early life

Reid was born on November 8, 1843, on a farm outside

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

. He entered Illinois College in 1859 but left in 1861 to join the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. He served until the end of the war as a member of the 68th Illinois Infantry Regiment and later as the commander of the prison camp in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1868 and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1872. On August 16, 1870, he married Julia Reed in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Career

From 1868 to 1871, Reid was the headmaster of Newport High School in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. He then served as first assistant to the headmaster of the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

. From 1873 to 1875 he was the superintendent of schools in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

. In 1875, Reid moved to California, where he served as the headmaster of the Boys' High School in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. From 1881 to 1885, Reid was president of the University of California. Soon after Reid took office, written entrance examinations replaced oral tests and the scope of the examinations for literary and science courses were expanded. Examinations were in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and Marysville, California, so students could take the tests without having to travel all the way to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

. During Reid's tenure, the University hired noted professors George Herbert Palmer and Josiah Royce. In 1885, Reid founded the Belmont School in Belmont, California. In 1893 it merged with the Hopkins Academy to form the Belmont School, W. T. Reid Foundation. He retired in 1918.

Death

Reid died at his home in Berkeley on December 17, 1922. He was survived by his son, Harvard football coach William Thomas Reid Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, W T 1843 births 1922 deaths Harvard University alumni Leaders of the University of California, Berkeley People from Jacksonville, Illinois People from Berkeley, California School superintendents in Massachusetts Union Army soldiers University of California regents